NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – August 2, 2012.

Prospective Coyotes buyer lacks funds, NHLPA still waiting on information from NHL, Flyers re-sign their head coach, the Penguins hire a new arena management firm, and the latest on Ryan O’Reilly, Rick DiPietro and Patrick Kaleta.

PHOENIX BUSINESS JOURNAL: Prospective Coyotes buyer Greg Jamison lacks the funding to both purchase the team and operate it after the purchase. His group and other backers of a Coyotes sale still believe the purchase can be done if more capital can be raised or more accommodating terms can be reached with the NHL.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: As we discussed last night on The Face Off Hockey Show, this saga won’t end until the NHL has finally exhausted every option to keep the Coyotes in Glendale. Sadly, this saga has already exhausted the patience of most hockey fans, bloggers and pundits, who’ve reached the point where they just don’t care what happens to the Coyotes. As always, my sympathies rest with the Coyotes players, their families, and of course, the Coyotes fans, who’ve had to deal with this uncertainty for over three years now.

ESPN.COM: The NHLPA is still awaiting all the financial documentation it requested from the league, which it claims it must review before making a CBA counter-proposal. NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly acknowledged the league is leaning toward a lockout, but also wouldn’t rule out the possibility of continuing without a CBA in place:

“As a legal matter, we can still play, yes,” Daly said. “There are certain provisions that fall out of the CBA upon expiration, including no-strike and no-lockout provisions, so as of that point in time the situation is not entirely the same. The status quo has changed. We’ll have to deal with that if and when we get there, but I think the goal and objective of hopefully both sides is that we don’t get to that point.”

SPECTOR’S NOTE: So, they could still have a season without a CBA, but I doubt it’s something the league is willing to seriously consider. The PA would be willing, but playing without a CBA removes leverage from the league over the players.

3 Comments

WHS
on August 2, 2012 at 1:49 pm

I wouldn’t believe what is written in the PHOENIX BUSINESS JOURNAL, the writer tends to speculate and not to do any real investigation. I rather speculate that Greg Jamison is trying to drive the price of the franchise down or his investment group is trying to also buy Westgate from iStar Financial (which was also reported by the same writer last March) and control the area around the arena. I do not understand how Jamison wouldn’t have the backers to buy the team before negotiating an arena deal (and was already OKed by the league ). Westgate is flourishing, but will it if the Coyotes leave? And Jamison & investors would have to have an arena deal done before trying to purchase Westgate and finalizing the tranfer of ownership for the franchise. From my understanding, they are trying to purchase both Westgate and the franchise and won’t settle for just one or the other. Eventually the group also wants to purchase the arena.

Hahbsfan1
on August 2, 2012 at 3:55 pm

Well play Mr. Fehr, welll played. I am starting to think there will be a lockout this season…how long is a big question. Fehr has set the table by putting any lockout, in the public mind, squarely on the shoulders of the owners by saying the PA is willing to play without a CBA So responsibility fully rests on the owners. This, then means he has, to a large extent, neutralised the owners major pressure point of a lockout (See Dalys comments) and put time pressure on the owners to get a CBA hammered out. The fact that all the financial (which, come on, the league must have known were going to be requested for years now or the PA went over board in their requests to delay things)have not all been handed over, says they know a lockout is coming as well and were trying to put the time pressure on the players. I think Fehr has been anticipating and planning for a lockout and has been setting up the PA to come up smelling like roses in the public eye. I am now really worried that this will get VERY messy before the end. Hope I’m wrong…..

1) At this point from what I’ve read the Phoenix franchise would be a bad investment even if it were gievn away for free!! Its a financial hole and always will be.
2) There WILL be a 3rd Bettman lockout. I guarentee it. The owners will NEVER allow play without a new CBA
3) DiPietro off IR makes him eligiable to be bought out if/when there is an amnesty provision in the new CBA

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